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Measuring microenvironment mechanical stress of rat liver during diethylnitrosamine induced hepatocarcinogenesis by atomic force microscope
Author(s) -
Gang Zhao,
Qi Qin,
Jing Cui,
Wang Chunyou
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.20716
Subject(s) - pathology , saline , chemistry , atomic force microscopy , pathological , liver tissue , medicine , materials science , nanotechnology
We developed a highly sensitive method to detect liver tissue stiffness with atomic force microscopy (AFM), and investigated the physical features of hepatocarcinogenesis. Wistar rats received weekly intraperitoneal injections of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) or saline (control) followed by a 2‐week wash‐out period. Liver samples were harvested at 10, 14, or 18 weeks for pathological examination and stress detection. Previously normal liver tissues developed fibrosis and carcinoma after DEN administration. Although the elastic modulus ( E ) values of the normal (saline; 0.18 ± 0.04 MPa), fibrotic (8 weeks DEN; 0.25 ± 0.06 MPa) and cirrhotic (12 weeks DEN; 0.39 ± 0.06 MPa) tissues were significantly different, there was no significant difference between the E values of the cirrhotic and the hepatic cell carcinoma (16 weeks DEN; 0.42 ± 0.07 MPa) tissues. Thus, tissue stiffness quantitatively increases during hepatocarcinogenesis, and AFM can be used to sensitively and precisely detect liver stiffness at the microscopic level. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.